That doesn't sound much like atheism. Atheists believe that no gods exist. Refusing to worship gods isn't the same thing.

Sorry to dredge this up. But it's worth recognising that Atheism is a functional term here, but it's used in an atypical way. Instead of rejecting the existence of the entity "God" it's a rejection of the godhood of the entity.

If you've got the time MoonZar, I'd like to hear a bit about the position of the Night elves within the realm. You say they're better integrated than the Day elves.

Do you have much defined by way of their culture?

Kalvalas (night elves) is not part of the empire, they are the equivalent of wood elves, that live in small communities in trees. They have dark skin and are CG, they are lead by a Monarchy Theocracy following the goddess of night and dreams called Alashra.

A while back they were at war with Patrenia because they started to invade their forest and chop down a lot of trees. It was resolved with a treaty of peace and a settlement to share the resources of the forest responsibly. The night elves have an ambassador in Patrenia at all time.

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I'm moving abroad in one month. Packing the whole family and drama!

How would you describe the cloak and dagger environment with the death of the empress?
I was also thinking of making a bastard child spy master in grooming for Cornaya who would be my characters mark but also love. Up till then he has balanced his lies and love but now with the death of the empress he is forced to make tough choices.

How would you describe the cloak and dagger environment with the death of the empress?

@ALL

Good question for everybody. Here's a sneak peek of what could happen.

The 4-5 Kings\Queen knows about the will, officially they will support it. Most noble will actually since nobody would benefit from a bloody civil war that could burn half the empire.

The thing is that some powerful nobles, rebels against the empire, other nations not part of the empire, even rich people will see that as opportunities to destabilize the empire for their own gain. People on the will become a target for them, but just the absence of the empress to keep everybody align is enough for those people to make a move.

It can go from, trying to assassinate the people on the will (PCs), to doing something crazy like insulting a duke to trigger a cascade that can lead to war and have somebody else blame for it etc...

This is a powder house ready to explode and I can promise that someone will light it up at some point. They will be no campaign if things stayed quiet. The party will have to complete the trials with that craziness in the background.

Quote:

I was also thinking of making a bastard child spy master in grooming for Cornaya who would be my characters mark but also love. Up till then he has balanced his lies and love but now with the death of the queen he is forced to make tough choices.

Sure that work. Propose something. Helena is an empress, not a queen.

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I'm moving abroad in one month. Packing the whole family and drama!

(Application in progress. It's 4AM now, so I'm going to have to return to write up my actual character later. Hopefully the history that led up to her birth will give you an idea of the challenges she is going to face.)

KieyennaDaughter of Mirrendier, of Kalvalas Blood; Daughter of Adelaide, of Human BloodTouched by Alashra

Personality:
Kieyenna is a playful, but rarely exuberant, taking her pleasure from the story or scene she creates in her mind. The sort to observe events with a wry smile, or to mutter a joke to the person standing next to her during the mundane events of court.

Appearance:
Taller than average, slimmer than average, but neither really worth commenting on. The white hair, dark skin, orange eyes and pointed ears however, are frequently commented on by humans.

The Trials: Though the controversy of Kieyenna's birth had largely drifted into irrelevancy by the time she was old enough to understand it, she does know about it, and as a student of diplomacy Kieyenna knows both how fraught with trouble the current political climate is. She wonders what the empress' motives were in choosing her. Perhaps she was chosen as a diplomat, though she thinks there must be better options. Perhaps she was chosen for her links to the the Athenyan crown and the Camoryan court, an attempt at peacemaking, or even antagonising. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the immediate events. Did the empress want her claim to Kalvalas, weak as it was, to annex the kingdom, just another step in her empire conquering the known world, even her death a part of that plan?

Kieyenna's not sure why she was chosen, but she knows that she is now a part of these events, and even abstaining would have ripples. She can't control those ripples by staying away though. Going gives her a chance to influence events.

As for the outcome? Having to answer to nobody sounds nice enough to tempt her, even if she knows the reality is far more complex.

The adopted father of Kieyenna, and a good Erykan. Though never his daughter, exactly, Gaius still took the child into his care, and it was from him that she began learning the skills of facilitating communication between the realms. He is a patient and kind man with little in the way of ambition. Once the second in line to a modestly wealthy county in the north of Athenya, his elder brother has since had three heirs, all now adults themselves.

In some ways, the distance between Ward and Guardian, over that of Father and Daughter, has created space for a respectful friendship as equals, now that Kieyenna is an adult.

If she becomes Empress, Kieyenna would wish to have her adoptive father as an advisor.

The Queen of Kalvalas

The Queen of KalvalasAge: Several Centuries; Race: ElvenOccupation: Theocratic Monarch

Despite being a distant, and publicly unacknowledged, relative the queen of Kalvalas has contacted Kieyenna three times over the course of her life, through the invocation of a dream. Here, in the private world, under the protection of Alashra, the queen has acknowledged their kinship, and expressed a friendly curiosity about her life. To Kieyenna's best understanding, these have been no more than a genuine expression of interest in the life of a relative, but they have never the less given Kieyenna something of a loyalty to the distant woman, as there were so few who cared about her in her early life.

It was the first of these dreams, at age 8, when related to her mother earned her the title "Touched by Alashra," a title the court readily willing to attribute to the exotic half-elf. In truth Kieyenna knows little of her people's traditions, beyond what is understood by the people of the empire. It is unlikely that she has directly attracted the goddess' attentions.

Background and Family
Short version, to be fleshed out later.

Kieyenna was born as a legitimate bastard of the king of Athenya's dynasty, and an illegitimate bastard of the Kalvalas one. To avoid giving the Athenya royal family a claim upon Kalvalas lands, and to protect her against being their tool, the Kalvalas royal family cut public ties.

Despite her potential, Kieyenna is reduced to being largely politically irrelevant and she, her mother, and her adoptive father return to his home, Iridya, away from the tyrannical militarism, to one of enlightenment. There Kieyenna is a greater oddity, away from the lands of the dark elves, she becomes something of a curiosity for the court.

A combination of this interest, and her quick wit and charm, leads to her being offered a chance to study at the university, where she studies a broad range of subjects, particularly specialising in training as a diplomatic envoy (The preparation and enaction of treaties, delivering messages, the laws of the different imperial and adjacent nations, languages, customs and such)

Kieyenna is an unacknowledged bastard of the Kalvalas queen's dynasty, though far from the line of succession (The Queen is her I found a handy chart!

first cousin, twice removed, making her six steps, and two generations, distant, and, had she been acknowledged, about 42nd in line to the throne.

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Kieyenna's father, Mirrendier, was, and remains, a young elf. At the age of 90, on the cusp of adulthood, Mirrendier was offically sent as a member of the Kalvalas embassy to the court at Patrenia. In truth this was a thinly veiled granting of a hostage of royal blood, as part of maintaining the peace between the two kingdoms. By the age of 110 Mirrendier was beginning to despair in his new urban home of stone and steel, a world of rigid law so different from home.

Perhaps he can be forgiven for finding solace in the embrace of an sixteen year old girl, one almost as ill-suited to her militant home and family as he was. Still, it created a problem. Kieyenna, bastard born of the royal bloodline to a citizen of Athenya. Somebody they had a claim to.

He did the only thing he could to protect her. He cut ties. He left, another royal cousin taking his place, leaving her as an unacknowledged bastard.

In the current day, at 138 years of age Mirrendier is, relatively speaking in their races, younger than his daughter.

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Kieyenna is an acknowledged bastard of the Athenyan king's dynasty, borne of his brother's daughter, though his majesty's matrelineal marriage keeps her from that line of succession.

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Kieyenna's mother, Adelaide, was betrothed at age 5 and married the day she turned 16. She was never the wittiest, nor the prettiest. She was not one of the great women who forged their destinies, such as the empress or the queen. Perhaps she might have been, if she was ever given the space. Her father had her life planned from birth, and brooked no deviations.

Perhaps it is no surprise that the young noblewoman took to stories told by the strange foreigner, of freedom in the forests and of faerie tales. Tales so vivid she could see them in her dreams. Perhaps it is no surprise that she tried to offer him comfort, so far from that wondrous place. A secret, a thrill. Her first rebellion against the plan.

In the months to come she began showing signs of pregnancy. Confused feelings overtook her. She held no love for her husband, but it was her duty to bear him an heir. Perhaps after that she would have more freedom. The other possibility was even more conflicting. She knew now that she loved him. But it would mean that her infidelity would come to light. It would mean trouble for him too, though she was naive to the details. Her father kept her out of politics, and it hurt Mirrendier to discuss it.

Her father, and her husband were thrilled by the news.

There was nothing to do but wait.

...and wait as the pregnancy passed into it's tenth month. There was little doubt as to the reason.

She asked Mirrendier to elope with her, but he refused. If he left, taking the King's niece with him...

He said it could mean war.

He was sorry. He told her what he would do. He told her why.

It still broke her heart.

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And so our protagonist is born at a week shy of eleven months, an unmistakable half-caste of human and elven blood.

Kieyenna was born to Adelaide, niece of the King and Queen of Athenya, twenty eight years before the death of the empress. When her grandfather guessed her parentage he was thrilled, even with the cost to family prestige that came with his daughter cuckolding her husband. Controlling a royal heir to Kalvalas! He even praised his daughter for her actions, until it became clear that Mirrendier was going to refuse to acknowledge her, despite everybody in the court figuring it out. Joy quickly turned to anger, but he was always a man in control. He could not back down from his legitimizing his daughter's bastard, nor was there a way to take out his anger on a foreign dignitary, at least not publicly. So, instead, he punished his daughter. He made it clear to her that her purpose was spent. She had ruined a good marriage, and she had failed to capitalise on the royal bastard. He did what seemed to him to be the worst thing he could do to her. He stopped caring. No stipend to her, no place in his grand plans.

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So the years that followed were something new to Adelaide. Her life, once so rigidly planned, was now open. Mostly. She was still married, but she came to understand her husband more in the next years. Though he did not love her any more than she did him, he was a kind man, supporting, and even educating, her daughter.

Never the less, the young nobleman's role in the court began to steadily diminish. His offices and roles gradually passed onto others who had his Father-In-Law's attention. {IN PROGRESS}

Physical Description: Elena is a slender young woman, boasting far less of the curvature possessed by her mother or sisters. Fair of skin, she keeps her golden hair short to avoid being grabbed in a duel, and out of the way of her ice-blue eyes. Despite being spurned by her sisters for her tomboyish behavior, Elena is every bit a fashionista as the other female de Bandeaux; she simply shows it in the form of elaborate hats and tabards instead of dresses.

Personality: Due to placement in the family line, Elena grew up fairly care free and fully able to choose her lot in life. This "devil-may-care" attitude has never left her, and if anything it's only grown stronger since she entered adulthood. Her 'profession' as a master swordswoman gave her an avenue to express her feelings and emotions, and she loves nothing more than the adoration and roar of the crowds. However, it's also fairly easy to push Elena to anger: just insult her family, especially her sisters, and then see how fast her blade comes at your throat.

Background: Third child and first daughter to the Count and Countess of Albao, a modest farming county south of Patrenia, Elena had a fairly standard childhood for one born to the upper crust of Athenya. She was taught to read and write, of military history and how a lady should compose herself. But being born into a family with two older brothers meant that young Elena's tomboyish nature had fertile soil to thrive in. It didn't hurt that her brothers didn't mind her coming along after all. It was on one of these tagging along excursions that the young noble's life was changed forever. Her eldest brother Alexander had let her come watch his fencing lessons, and Elena just happened to have a long stick she had found on the way. To the instructor's surprise, Elena's mimicry of her brother's motions with the stick were those of a student of years experience. Once he gave her an actual training foil to swing, Elena became hooked.

For the remainder of her childhood, Elena practiced day and night to master the art of the blade. And the better she got, the bigger her ego seemed to get. This naturally scared off the weaker-willed of the suitors her mother tried to arrange, which was just fine as far as Elena was concerned. After all, that lead to more practice time. At the age of 16, she participated in her first large tourney in Patrenia. While she didn't win, she managed to get to the finals and put on an impressive show, so much so that the next day she received an offer to assist in guarding a trader's caravan on their trip home. Thus began a two year stint as a traveling swordswoman, finally arriving back home with a chest full of gold, her hair cut short, and a few new scars to tell about. The next several years were full of practice and adventure, spending a few months at home before wandering again for a few months at a time. Out in the world she found all sorts of different techniques and styles that the proper instructors just wouldn't teach.

It was on one of these adventures that the news of the Empress's death reached her ears. Elena had idolized the Empress since she was a young girl and took the news particularly hard. Luckily for her, the party was wrapping up it's business at the time and she was able to spend some time to pay her respects. Instead of joining up with her current band for a new lead they had uncovered, she bid her farewell and came home to morn in her own way. What she wasn't expecting though was the strange letter summoning her to Selarya waiting for her when she arrived.

Parents

Marie Anoiette de Bandeaux, Countess and High Magistrate of AlbaoMother
The last living member of the original de Bandeaux family, Marie inherited the title of Countess and the county of Albao at the young age of 16 after a plague took the elder members of her clan. Thrust into the limelight, the young Countess set at the task of rebuilding her fallen community with a will of iron hidden below those voluptuous curves. As the years went on, her reputation only grew throughout the land, helped in no small part by the various accomplishments of her six children.

Count Alistar Mclaran de Bandeaux, nee ShandarFather
Born the fourth son of a family of lesser nobles in Dogma, Alistar watched his family's social status take the serious dive that all did when Patrenia was completed. An avid strategist and learned gentleman, Alistar knew that his only way out of this situation was to find a way into another family. When he heard about the situation in Albao, Alistar set off to try and court the young Countess. After months of perseverance and the agreement to take on the family name in place of his own, Alistar became the newest Count of Albao. Under his years of guidance, the county has grown and prospered, and is now one of the highest producers of wine and spirits in Athenya.

Siblings

Alexander Riga de Bandeaux, Viscount of Albado (31)Older Brother
The firstborn son and heir to the county, Alexander is the quintessential "big brother" of the de Bandeaux clan. A talented orator and strategist in the vein of his father, Alexander is always looking out for his younger siblings and his family as a whole. It was his letting Elena tag along that lead her to finding her love in life, the sword. He is also the only child of the de Bandeaux family currently married, having wed a young noblewoman from the Pearl isles of Camorya for political reasons, and most of his current time is spent assisting his parents and learning what he needs to take over when they step down.

Captain Markus Alasare de Bandeaux (28)Older Brother
Though not as skilled at speaking or as openhearted as his elder brother, Markus excels past him in the ways of tactics and strategy, which has earned him a prestigious position as a company captain in the Imperial Army. He is also much larger than his older brother, "built like a stone farmhouse" as Elena says often, and boasts one of the most prestigious beards in all the county.

Tiana and Miana de Bandeaux (22)Younger Sisters
Twin sisters who are physically the spit and image of their mother at their age, if not maturity-wise. Unlike Elena, the two have more suitors than one could shake a stick at, a fact that they reveal in. The pair are rarely seen apart and often are in the process of gossiping and discussing which poor soul they plan on stringing along that day, a practice that has driven their mother to her wits end and prompted many a threat to just marry them off to dwarves.

Pepito Anaoxis de Bandeaux (8)Younger Brother
"Little Pepito" is perhaps the most anomilous of the siblings, due in no large part to the vast gap in time between his birth and that of the twins. Many rumors have flown around the county regarding his seemingly out of nowhere appearance, not at all helped by his quiet and bookish demeanor. However, the youngest child of the family is also currently the most gifted in the arcane arts, already showing promise in the most basics of wizardry at his young age. While this has lead him to start emerging out of his shell, it has also forced Elena to come to his aid more than a few times when he has bitten off more than he can chew.

The Trials:
Elena isn't quite sure why the Empress would have picked her, especially over her siblings; however she does have a strong feeling as to what exactly made her a good target. The Empress was a warrior first and foremost, and would often attend the largest tourneys to watch the skill that her lands produced. Elena just so happens to hold a few major victories in some of those tourneys, her skill with a sword making a name for herself in both competitive and gambling circles. At least, this is the current theory that Elena has come up with, which is far better than her sisters' idea that this is just an elaborate prank by some noble she embarrassed in a duel.

The first person to realize Elena's skill with a blade, Sir Milaro was originally hired to train her older brothers in the art of dueling. However, after seeing her intense potential, the retired knight made the young girl his personal protege and set out to teach her everything he knew. Though the training was at times harsh, Elena won't deny it helped make her as good as she is today. The elder warrior also served as a wonderful sounding board for his young student as she grew older, as he was not involved in the political machinations that surrounded those of noble birth. Though he is now all but retired, Sir Milaro always makes time for a match whenever Elena comes back home, and somehow despite his age he is the one opponent Elena just can't seem to beat.

Elena's number one fan, adopted younger sister, personal apprentice, and appointed watcher-over of Pepito when his older sister is not in town. Chloe has always idolized Elena, often ditching her chores to go with the village boys and watch her practices. Elena couldn't help but see a bit of herself in the young girl, and gave in after only two weeks of pestering on the idea of teaching her how to use a sword. While Chloe's widower father isn't always too keen about raising a little swordswoman, he is glad that the young woman is at least doing her best to be a positive female role model for her.

A talented swordsman from a neighboring county, Michel is Elena's longest standing rival. After a narrow and hard-fought victory over Elena in the final match of the pair's first great tourny in Patrenia, Michel became entranced by the blonde swordswoman and proposed to her on the spot. Elena politely declined the offer, which just spurned him on even further. In the years since, the pair have crossed blades again on a number of occasions, always seeming to end up on opposing sides. Neither one has ever had a resounding victory against the other, and Michel vows to one day be able to win her heart.

PC Reactions:

Rana bint Jimal Al Motallebzadeh:"A skilled politician from what I've heard, but what can she actually do outside of the court?"

Vec Traelion:"Someone needs to explain how a mage got his hands on a beautiful blade like that, or at least teach him how to use it properly."

Isosha Ostinato:"She reminds me of my sisters, though she acts as though she's working to fix that. There is hope yet."

Hasan Chakkal:"A keen eye for stones and gems, and an honest merchant to boot. A rare combination that the Empire needs more of."

Kieyenna:"A good head on her shoulders, but isn't she a bit far from her people's home? That part makes me more nervous than half these others..."

Olesia Elizaveta Knox:"My mother claims our families are related somehow, if you go far enough back. Love the skill she brings to a fight, but no amount of her preaching is going to turn me from MaŽlla."

Renť Bertrand Claude de Saint-Martin:"Truthfully if I did not know better, I would swear a witch cast an a hex on Pepito that aged him, the resemblance is that uncanny. Hopefully that won't cloud my judgement."

Elaria Dunulaan:"I can count on one hand the people I know who scare me in a fight, and she is among that number. I'd give anything just for the chance to learn under her for a few months."

Lord Sebastian:"A rugged yet refined gentleman, as easy on the eyes as he is skilled on a mount..........I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?"

Alexander Cornaya:"While I tip my hat to his skill with a cannon, I do hope he has something else in his spellbook should someone get closer than the barrel-length."

Pacho Corello:"The longer I stare at him, the less I seem to figure out about him, as if he were blending in with the walls themselves...."

Xan'cha Mahuiztil:"If all the women in the southern lands look like her, the rest of us are going to have to start praying more men don't head that way. Still, she seems nice enough."

Taevar Seaborn:"Now that is quite a nice hat you are wearing. How about you and I meet up at the next town square at dawn, winner get the losers'?"

Don Tuto:"He's riding a lion like a horse....One of the two of us must be very, very intoxicated right now."

Valinar Ankarana:"I've heard stories about his exploits, and my little brother is enraptured with his supposed talents. Personally, I like his tone more than anything."

Irinda Kalanara:"A quiet young thing, though the owl is quite interesting. I've got a strange feeling I need to keep a closer eye on her."

Sayyida al-Hurra:"Passable with a blade, but exceptional as a sailor. She could either be a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy depending on how things pan out."

Korag Bolin:"Him I like, reminds me of myself in a lot of ways. I have a feeling we would get along quite well were we to meet under any other circumstances."

Lord Tatsuo d'Aidendale:"There is a grace about him that matches some of the best duelists I've met...but there is also this slight feeling of slipperiness to it, like I'm trying to pin an eel to a board..."

Sarah Starshine:"Now this one I remember. She's not half-bad with a sword, but I still to this day don't know what to make of that look she gave me at the end of our duel..."